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It is a great pleasure to be here with you today - and especially because we are here to discuss a topic that concerns all of us and affects our daily lives as well as global economic and social progress - artificial intelligence. It is a technology which, although it has been around for decades, has seen rapid growth in recent years, offering advanced capabilities that open up new opportunities at both individual and collective levels. Many see 2023 as the year of AI - the year that the world understood what AI is and more, what AI can do - the year of ChatGPT, of Chatbots, and the year that nations are now starting to talk seriously about their AI strategy.
I'm sure everyone here has - at least to a small degree - already used an AI tool, either as part of their work or in their daily lives. And I'm not only referring to the now familiar ChatGPT language model, but also to many other applications, such as using face ID to unlock our mobile devices, interacting with smart assistants (like Siri or Alexa), and navigating Google or Apple maps that don't just guide us to our destination, but recognize in real time the traffic flow, update and advise as to the fastest route.
So there are many examples where artificial intelligence is already part of our everyday life. Even more are the prospects that are opening up, especially with the advent of Genetic or Productive AI, and one can cite many examples at a collective and business level. Provide personalised education through interactive programmes, dynamically adapted to the needs and abilities of each student. To automate tasks and processes, freeing people from routine tasks and allowing them to focus on more creative activities.
Through the analysis of large data sets, it can enable early prediction and effective response to natural disasters. It is essential for autonomous driving, an area of active research and experimentation, but also for the development of smart cities, which is a key priority of our own government. An open competition has already been announced and is in progress precisely on the subject of Smart Cyprus. As far as the economy is concerned, the implementation of AI enables a drastic transformation of existing business and operational models, acting as a driver of productivity and competitiveness, while it can lead to faster and more informed decision-making, as well as to the development of a new generation of services.
Despite the multidimensional potential benefits, several concerns or risks associated with the development and use of AI also arise. A key concern is the impact on employment. It is a fact that automation is expected to lead to the elimination of low-skilled and/or repetitive jobs. At the same time, however, the development of AI foresees in the long term the creation of new jobs in specialised fields, such as data analysis, where there is currently a great shortage worldwide. To reverse this trend, we need to invest in upgrading the digital skills of our existing workforce, but also to push young people in the professional direction of technology. At the same time, we need to realise that successful employment in the ICT sector is not a prerequisite for studying IT, but can come as a result of education and training in new skills and fields required by the new era. Such programmes are funded and offered by the Government, but also by the private sector, and I invite you to explore and take advantage of them.
Even more acute concerns are expressed regarding the ethical dimension of this transformative technology, in particular the lack of transparency, the prejudices and discrimination that may result from reliance on AI, the possibility of social manipulation, and the violation of privacy. The regulation of both the development and the use of AI in a way that complies with international ethical standards and principles guaranteeing human rights and the rule of law is the subject of the European AI Act. This is the first comprehensive piece of legislation worldwide on this issue, in the process of which the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy is actively involved.
In addition to our role as a regulator, the state aspires, through targeted measures and incentives, to accelerate the development and adoption of artificial intelligence in the public and private sectors, but also to integrate its applications into its structures and operations in a way that substantially improves the services it provides to citizens. Examples of such initiatives include the development of a pilot framework for the application of this technology in the education sector, with a focus on adaptive learning, the development of a model for anticipating changing needs in the labour market, and the funding of businesses both to develop and use AI applications and to upgrade the skills of their employees.
Dear Friends
It is clear that AI will be at the heart of our digital future. By approaching technology as a tool and not as an end in itself, we are working towards creating the right conditions that will enable and ensure the development and appropriate use of an ethical, reliable and human-centric AI, for the benefit of the economy and society of the country. And we want everyone's help and contribution.
Congratulations on today's event. Thank you, for your interest.
(MK)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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